finding a research topic (bmj)

Issues: Berkeley Medical Journal

AgendaIce BreakerSyllabus/Course expectationsFinding a Research Source (aka

Primary sources)Homework

BOOO ICE BREAKERS!!! Give your:

◦Name◦Spirit Animal, favorite animal, or

least favorite animal and why. ◦OR a TV character that you would

want to be your best friend and why.

What you need to pass this classRead the syllabusShow up every weekDo your edits every weekOne 10 minute (max!) presentationA final package submission

◦Your 2 articles◦Article images (explained in syllabus)◦A short bio of yourself◦Proof of rights granted for quotes◦Recommendation of editor(s) for publishing

(the editors take care of this)

How to find a research source AKA how to begin finding your topic!!

Are you lost? Then it’s time to EXPOSE YOURSELF & work backwards

Common websites to begin with general information include:◦reddit.com/r/science ◦Bing News◦Yahoo News◦News.google.com◦Popsci.com◦Etc.

EXPOSURE YOURSELF SOME MOREMore specific resources to

explore for topics:◦Nature◦UC Berkeley SPH News Letter◦MCB News Letter◦School of Optometry◦UCSF News Center◦PubMed◦Etc.

If you have a specific interestAsk yourself what kind of topics are

you interested in.◦Genetic mutations?◦Mechanical organs?◦Shots/injections◦Parasites?

SEARCH ENGINES AND BOOLEAN OPERATORS ARE YOUR FRIEND.

Boolean Operators“AND”

◦ Finds your first and second terms together◦ Harder to use with phrases

“OR”◦ *sometimes helpful*◦ Use it when a key term/word may appear in 2

different ways (like acronyms & colloquial)“NEAR”

◦ Finds where both words appear near each other, within a few words.

“NOT”◦ Finds references for one term but not the other◦ Helpful when a term is used for many things

(opposite problem of OR)

What do we mean by “Primary?”Basically, we want you to find the

paper(s) written by those who did the research or experiment you want to write on.

This includes:◦Research facilities/orgs. ◦Labs ◦Hospitals◦UC Berkeley professors and labs on

campus!! In a nutshell, we mean scientists.

Characteristics of a Primary SourceReport original research, ideas, or scientific

discoveries for the first timeReport results/findings/data from experiments

or research studiesMay also be referred to as primary research,

primary articles, or research studiesAre frequently found in peer-reviewed or

scholarly journalsShould explain the research methodology

used (randomized controlled trial, etc)Frequently include methods, results, and

discussion sections

What is a “strong topic?”Staying away from clichés like cancer

research, effects of color on memory, drug addiction, etc.

Something BRAND NEW, published within the 1-2 years.

You could find that very little research is available on your subject. As much as you may like your topic, you may want to give it up at the start if you know you’re going to run into trouble finding more info for your paper.

What kind of other information are you looking for? Your article will require more than

just primary sources to help you write.

Do you need:◦History◦Facts ◦Opinions◦News reports

Other resources other than primary CAN be used.

Where would be a likely place to look?The InternetAcademic Periodicals NewspapersCompany websites (if commercial)OskiCat, the UCB Library Catalog

Do you need to represent both sides of a story? (to be continued next week with 4QDs).

How much info do you need?

HomeworkBring in 3 topics for your primary

(main) articleBring in 3 topics for your

secondary (shorter) article